On track railway brake



July 3, 1951 H. L. BONE ON TRACK RAILWAY BRAKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10, 1948 INVENTOR. Herb 11,801)? HIS ATTORNEY July 3, 1951 H. BONE ON TRACK RAILWAY BRAKE '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 10, 1948 INVENTOR. fileflbl L. 50128. BY g Patented July 3, 1951 ON TRACK RAILWAY BRAKE Herbert L. Bone, Forest Hills, Pa., assignor to The Union Switch & Signal Company,

Swissvale,

Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 10, 1948, Serial No. 48,535

7 Claims.

My invention relates to railway braking apparatus, and particularly to braking apparatus of the type comprising Wheel-engaging braking bars extending parallel to a track rail on opposite sides of the rail, and movable toward and away from the rail into braking and nonbraking positions. More particularly, my invention relates to apparatus of the type described in which the parts of the apparatus located between the rails are compactly arranged so that the apparatus is suitable for use in connection with narrow-gauge railways.

My invention relates to an improvement in railway braking apparatus of the type described in my prior Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,927,201, granted September 19, 1933, and No. 2,089,823, granted August 10, 1937, both entitled Railway Braking Apparatus.

One object of my invention is to provide im-'- proved braking apparatus of the type described, applicable to both rails of a railway track, wherein the apparatus associated with one rail is offset along the trackway with respect to the apparatus associated with the other rail, so that the operating parts located between the rails are staggered.

Another object is to provide an improved guide rail structure for use in connection with braking apparatus in which the mechanism associated with one rail of a railway trackfis offset along the trackway with respect to the ated with the opposite rail.

I accomplish the foregoing objects of my invention by providing for each rail, braking mechanism including elongated brake shoes disposed on opposite sides of the rail, together with spaced operating units formoving the brake shoes between braking and nonbraking positions. I offset the braking mechanism associated with one rail with respect to that associated with the other rail, so that the parts of the operating unit located between the rails are staggered and do not interfere with each other.

Because the braking mechanisms of the opposite rails are not aligned laterally, the wheels on one side of a car traversing the braking mechanism pass out of the braking mechanism before the wheels on the opposite side. I provide guide rails at the exit end of the braking apparatus to restore to the track rails any car wheel which may have ridden out of the braking apparatus during its passage through the brake. I provide a novel guide rail construction adjacent the rail on the side on which the car wheels leave the braking mechanism first.

mechanism associ- Other objects of my invention will appear a the description proceeds.

I shall describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and shall then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan View showing one form of braking apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view, on a larger scale, taken along the line 11-11 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are sectional views, on a still larger scale taken along the lines III-JII, IVIV, and V-V, respectively, of Fig. l with many of the parts omitted for the sake of clarity, illustrating the relative positions of the guide rail structure and the wheels of a car which has ridden out of the braking apparatus.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the several views.

In the drawings there is shown a stretch of railway track including rails I and 2, which are secured to a plurality of rail supports 3 (see 12) mounted on the usual crossties 4.

On the opposite sides of the rail 4 are located braking bars 5 and 6, consisting of a series of brake beams articulated by means of suitable connections at their ends, and replaceable brake shoes 1 carried by the brake beams. The abutting ends ,of the shoes are staggered with respect to the abutting ends of the brake beams. Rail 2 is similarly provided with braking bars 8 and 9 including brake shoes iii.

Each pair of braking bars is operable to move its associated shoes into braking engagement with a car wheel passing through the braking apparatus by means of a plurality of equally spaced operating units generally indicated at El. Each of the operating units H comprises a pair of levers l2 and it (see Fig. 2) mounted on a pivot pin l i. Each of the upper levers i2 carries at its outer end a cylinder [5 within which moves a piston 16. The piston it operates a ton rod H which is pivotally connected to the outer end of the lower lever l3. The levers l2 are provided with spring units it which limit the lever movement in a nonbraking direction. The levers I3 are provided with spring units l9 which limit the movement of the levers It in the nonbraking direction and which yieldablyoppose the movement of the levers in a braking direction when no car wheel is between the shoes.

The foregoing description has been very brief, inasmuch as the structure involved is completely described in my prior Patent No. 2,089,823, previously referred to.

In the braking apparatus illustrated in Fig. -1,

the entering end is shown at the left, as indicated by the arrow. In accordance with my invention, the braking apparatus associated with the rail l is offset with respect to the braking apparatus associated with rail 2. This offset enables the parts of the operating units which lie between the rails to operate without interference with the operating units associated with the opposite I out from between the brake shoes and roll along the top of the brake shoes or the brake beams. In order to restore any such wheels to the track rails, guide rails are commonly provided on both sides of each track rail at the exit end of the braking apparatus. Such guide rails support the wheels and guide them back toward the track rails if they have escaped from the space between the brake shoes during their passage through the braking apparatus. My improved guide rail construction, described below, is especially adapted for use with braking apparatus wherein the braking mechanisms for the opposite rails are offset.

The rail I is provided with an inner guide rail and an outer guide rail 2!, both of which are constructed in a known manner. Rail 2 is provided with an inner guide rail 22 similar to the guide rail 28, and with an outer guide rail 23 of novel construction.

In a guide rail arrangement such as this, the inner guide rail is more effective that the outer guide rail, because it acts against the flat inner side of the wheel, whereas the outer guide rail may act only on the flange of the wheel, which is relatively narrow as compared to the area on the wheel against Which'the inner guide rail acts. For this reason, the outer guide rail 2! has a flat upper surface (see Fig. 5) which supports, but does not steer, a wheel rolling on it.

The outer guide rail 23 is provided with a flat upper surface at track rail height (see Figs. 4 and 5). At the outer edge of that surface is an upstanding flange 23a. This flange 230. extends generally parallel to the rail 2 from the ends of the brake beams 8 and 9. At a point substantially opposite the ends of brake beams 5 and 6, the flange 23a is curved slightly inward toward the rail. The flange 230. extends only to a point just beyond the end of inner guide rail 20 on the opposite rail. The remainder of the guide rail 23 is a flat surface whose function is to support but not guide a wheel rolling on it and is thus similar to the guide rail 2 l.

The inner guide rail 20 has a flat upper surface somewhat below track rail height (see Fig. 5) and a vertical flange at the inner edge of that surface. This flange is substantially wider than the flange 23a and extends diagonally toward the track rail l.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 illustrate the action of the guide rails on a pair of wheels which have moved off the track rails l and 2 to the left as the parts appear in these figures in the drawings. In Fig. 3, the wheels are rolling on the braking bars 6 and 8, and have not yet reached the end of the braking 'mechanism associated with the rails. In Fig. 4,

the left-hand wheel has passed the end of the braking bar 8 and is riding on the flange. 23a of guide rail 23. The right-hand wheel is still riding on the braking bar 6.. Since the flange 23a acts only on the flange of the wheel, it is so constructed as to be substantially parallel to the track rail 2. Thus the principal function of the flange 23a is to prevent the wheel from getting farther away from the rail 2. The exit end of flange 23a has a slight inward curvature, so that it guides the wheel gradually toward the track rail,

In Fig. 5, the right-hand wheel has passed the end of the brake bar 6 and is about to be engaged by the inner guide rail 29, which is so constructed as to overlap the edge of the wheels by a considerable distance. The inner guide rail 20 and the flange 23a on the outer guide rail 23 at this point cooperate to direct their respective wheels back toward the track rails. As the wheels continue to move through the retarder, the left-hand wheel will soon pass the end of flange 23a and the guiding function will be taken over completely by the inner guide rail 20.

Although I have herein shown and described but one form of railway braking apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Railway braking apparatus, comprising elongated brake shoe means for each rail of a stretch of railway track, said brake shoe means lying alongside said rail and being movable toward the rail into braking engagement with the wheels of a car on the rail, means for operating the shoe means comprising, for each shoe means, atleast one operating unit, the shoe means for one rail being offset alon the track with respect to the shoe means for the other rail, and guide rails adjacent the outer sides of the track rails at the exit end of said shoe means for supporting any car wheels which may leave the track rails while passing the brake shoe means, the outer guide rail for the rear brake shoe means being extended so that it terminates beyond the r end of the forward brake shoe means.

2. Railway braking apparatus, comprising elongated brake shoe means for each rail of a stretch of railway track, each said brake shoe means including inner and outer brake shoes disposed alongside the rail and movable into braking engagement with the wheels of a car on the rail, and motor means for operating the shoe means including, for each shoe means, a plurality of motor units connected to the shoe means at equally spaced intervals, the shoe means for one rail being oflset along the track with respect to the shoe means for the. other rail, the operating units for the opposite rails being out of alignment with each other.

alongside the rail and movable into braking engagement with the wheels of a car on the rail, motor means for operating the shoe means including, for. each shoe means, a plurality of motor units connected to the shoe means at equally spaced intervals, the shoe means for one rail be ing offset along the track with respect to the shoe means for the other rail, and inner and outer guide rails adjacent the track rails at the exit end of said shoe means for supporting and restoring to the track rails any car wheels which may leave the track rails while passing the brake shoe means, the outer guide rail for the rear brake shoe means being extended so that it terminates opposite the end of the other inner guide rail.

4. Railway braking apparatus, comprising elongated brake shoe means for each rail of a stretch of railway track, each said brake shoe means including inner and outer brake shoes disposed alongside the rail and movable into braking engagement with the wheels of a car on the rail, motor means for operating the shoe means including, for each shoe means, a plurality of motor units connected to the shoe means at equally spaced intervals, the shoe means for one rail being offset along the track with respect to the shoe means for the other rail, the operating units for the opposite rails being out of alignment with each other, and inner and outer guide rails adjacent the exit end of said shoe means for supporting and restoring to the track rails any car wheels which may leave the track rails while passing the brake shoe means, the outer guide rail for the rear brake shoe means being extended so that it terminates opposite the end of the other inner guide rail, said outer guide rail for the rear brake shoe means having an upstanding flange opposite the end of the forward brake shoe means and extending substantially parallel to the track rails.

5'. Guide rail apparatus for supporting and restoring to track rails car wheels which have escaped therefrom, comprising a first guide rail adapted for mounting adjacent the outer side of one track rail and having a flat upper surface at 8 track rail height extending throughout the length of the guide rail and a vertical flange at the outer edge of said surface, said flange having a first portion parallel to the track rail at the entering end of the guide rail and connected to a second portion curving gradually toward the track rail, said flange terminating at a point spaced from the track rail and from the end of the guide rail, and a second guide rail adapted for mounting adjacent the inner side of the opposite track rail, said second guide rail having its entering end substantially opposite the second portiorr of said flange and having a fiat upper surface below track rail height and a vertical flange substantially wider than the flange on the first guide rail and extending diagonally toward said opposite track 6 rail, said guide rails having their leaving ends substantially opposite.

6. Railway braking apparatus including elongated brake shoe means for each rail of a stretch of railway track, the shoe means for one rail being offset along the track with respect to the shoe means for the other rail, and inner and outer guide rails adjacent the exit end of said shoe means for supporting and restoring to the track rails any car wheels which may leave the track rails while passing the brake shoe means, the outer guide rail for the rear brake shoe means extending from the exit end of the rear brake shoe means to a point opposite the end of the inner guide rail for the forward shoe means.

7. Railway braking apparatus comprising elongated brake shoe means for each rail of a stretch of railway track disposed along the inner side of each rail and movable into braking engagement with the wheels of a car on the rail, the brake shoe means for one rail being offset along the track with respect to the brake shoe means for the other rail, and a plurality of motor units connected to each of the brake shoe means at equally spaced intervals, the motor units for the brake shoe means associated with one rail being staggered with respect to the motor units for the brake shoe means associated with the other rail.

HERBERT L. BONE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 896,378 Gordon Aug. 18, 1908 945,755 Coleman et a1. Jan. 11, 1910 1,395,583 Keith Nov. 1, 1921 1,428,220 Delk Sept. 5, 1922 1,447,482 Owens Mar. 6, 1923 1,787,329 Sexe Dec. 30, 1930 1,821,880 C'onnick Sept. 1, 1931 1,862,209 Bone June 7, 1932 1,868,517 Bone July 26, 1932 2,184,871 Bone Dec. 26, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number =11 Country Date 290,480 Germany Feb. 11, 1915 

